Sonoma IndyCar: Hunter-Reay leads opening practice

The 2012 series champion beat 2018 title favorite, Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, by 0.2526sec to set a 1min17.5742sec lap on the Firestone primary tires – an average speed of 110.681mph.

Dixon was 0.55sec ahead of five-time Sonoma polesitter Will Power who – along with Penske-Chevrolet teammate Josef Newgarden - retains a very outside chance of this year’s championship.

They require maximum points – win and leading most laps – along with Dixon to finish lower than 22nd in the 25-car field, and for Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport) to finish lower than ninth.

Simon Pagenaud fans had cause for cautious optimism after FP1, as their man, who has struggled with the 2018 aerokit on road courses all season, clocked fourth fastest time behind Power, a mere 0.0768sec slower.

Both were in a happier state than teammate Newgarden who took no part in the session due to a mechanical issue.

Marco Andretti was fifth for Andretti Autosport, ahead of the second Ganassi-Honda of Ed Jones while Graham Rahal slotted the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda into seventh.

Title contender Rossi was struggling, suffering a spin on the way to eighth fastest time, seven-tenths off his pacesetting teammate and only a fraction ahead of his rookie teammate Zach Veach.

Dale Coyne Racing had three in a row, Sebastien Bourdais leading rookies Pietro Fittipaldi and Santino Ferrucci, while Indy Lights aces Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward – on their official race weekend debut in an IndyCar – were 16th and 24th, 1.25 and 1.6sec off Hunter-Reay’s pace.

James Hinchcliffe suffered two spins in the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports-Honda but outpaced Robert Wickens stand-in Carlos Munoz.

Second practice, which includes a chance to run on Firestone’s red alternate compound, begins at 3pm local (Pacific) time.

Sonoma, IndyCar first practice:

Pos.	#	Driver	Time	Gap	Mph
1	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	1'17.5742		110.681
2	9	Scott Dixon	1'17.8268	0.2526	110.322
3	12	Will Power	1'17.8818	0.3076	110.244
4	22	Simon Pagenaud	1'17.9586	0.3844	110.135
5	98	Marco Andretti	1'18.0878	0.5136	109.953
6	10	Ed Jones	1'18.1385	0.5643	109.882
7	15	Graham Rahal	1'18.1665	0.5923	109.842
8	27	Alexander Rossi	1'18.2738	0.6996	109.692
9	26	Zach Veach	1'18.3541	0.7799	109.579
10	18	Sébastien Bourdais	1'18.3709	0.7967	109.556
11	19	Pietro Fittipaldi	1'18.4442	0.8700	109.454
12	39	Santino Ferrucci	1'18.5994	1.0252	109.237
13	21	Spencer Pigot	1'18.7290	1.1548	109.058
14	30	Takuma Sato	1'18.7456	1.1714	109.035
15	5	James Hinchcliffe	1'18.7757	1.2015	108.993
16	88	Colton Herta	1'18.8261	1.2519	108.923
17	60	Jack Harvey	1'18.9310	1.3568	108.779
18	23	Charlie Kimball	1'18.9638	1.3896	108.733
19	14	Tony Kanaan	1'19.0612	1.4870	108.599
20	4	Matheus Leist	1'19.0917	1.5175	108.558
21	6	Carlos Munoz	1'19.0925	1.5183	108.556
22	20	Jordan King	1'19.1632	1.5890	108.459
23	59	Max Chilton	1'19.1739	1.5997	108.445
24	8	Patricio O'Ward	1'19.1898	1.6156	108.423
25	1	Josef Newgarden	no time	-	-